Newsletter #2
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June 2008
City of South Lake Tahoe General Plan Update
Part III: General Plan Update Project Schedule The General Plan Update is currently six months into a 25-month process. As shown below, there are eight phases in updating the General Plan. Phases shown in red are completed as of June 2008. In addition to these eight phases, the City and Consultants are also preparing city-wide design guidelines and a 3-D model showing what future development could look like under the new plan. All dates for remaining items are subject to change. Please visit the project website (www.cityofslt.us then click the General Plan Update link) regularly for updates to the project schedule and for postings of project reports.
Phases
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Program Initiation
Background Report
Coordinate with City staff and present approach to PC/GPAC and City Council
Collect information on current conditions and trends
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Issues, Opportunities, and Vision Work with PC/GPAC, City Council, and public to identify key issues and opportunities
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Alternatives
Policy Document
Develop a range of alternatives based on the issues and opportunities
Draft a set of goals, policies, and actions to implement the preferred land use alternative
Environmental Impact Report
Public Review
Assess the environmental implications of the proposed General Plan
Welcome
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Review and comment on the proposed General Plan at hearings with the PC/ GPAC and City Council
Final Documents and Adoption Prepare the final General Plan and EIR following public review and hearings
In October 2007 the City of South Lake Tahoe began a two-year process to update its 1999 General Plan. The General Plan is the City's policy document that guides land use, transportation, infrastructure, community design, environmental, and other decisions in coordination with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) Regional Plan. The General Plan is intended to provide for orderly development and convey the community's values and expectations for the future. In this newsletter you will find information on currently available documents, upcoming meetings, and ways that you can get involved in the process. For more information please visit us online at: www.cityofslt.us and click on the General Plan Update link, or contact Teri Jamin, Community Development Director, at:
Oct
Nov
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2007
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Aug
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Jan
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Apr
May
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How Can You Be Involved? Website
Study Session/Hearings
The General Plan Update website provides a one-stop location to get the latest information on the General Plan Update program. The website provides up-to-date information on upcoming events and allows anyone to download copies of meeting minutes/agendas and documents/reports prepared for the General Plan Update.
Workshops will be held with the Planning Commission/ General Plan Advisory Committee and the City Council throughout the General Plan Update. At the end of the process, formal public hearings will also be held to review and adopt the General Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
Newsletters During the General Plan Update, a series of newsletters like this one will be prepared to provide reports on the General Plan Update’s progress. Copies of previous newsletters are available on the website.
www.cityofslt.us then click the General Plan Update link.
E-Update Community Workshops Four community workshops will be held during the General Plan Update to gain community input on issues and opportunities, alternative futures, and the General Plan documents. Dates will be posted on the website when they become available.
During the General Plan Update process, the City will maintain an e-mail list of individuals who want to be notified of the latest program events. If you are interested, please sign up at www.www.cityofslt.us then click the General Plan Update link.
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tjamin@cityofslt.us 1052 Tata Lane South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 (530) 542-6025
What’s New? •
The Policy Guidance Package was confirmed by the City Council on February 12, 2008.
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The Draft Housing Element is out for review by the Planning Commission, General Plan Advisory Committee, City Council, and the public.
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The General Plan Background Report has been released for public review.
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A Summary of Community Questions from the first community workshop is now available.
Note: All documents are available online at: www.cityofslt.us and click: General Plan update.
What’s Next? Community Workshop When: June 26, 2008 Where: Board & Aspen Rooms, Lake Tahoe Community College, 1 College Drive Topics: Discuss the progress of the General Plan Update, TRPA’s Regional Plan Update process, and other planning projects and review Background Report findings. The workshop will also include an interactive exercise on neighborhood and citywide issues. Page 1
General Plan Update
South Lake Tahoe The General Plan Update is being conducted in three parts. The following summarizes the major work completed to date on each part.
Part I: Policy Confirmation
Part III: General Plan Update Part III of the General Plan Update process will take about two years to complete, wrapping up in Fall 2009.
Part I of the General Plan Update compiled all existing and emerging City policies in one document and summarize policies in a set of “guiding principles” related to development and environmental protection. This report, titled the Policy Guidance Package, was presented to South Lake Tahoe residents during a community workshop held on November 15, 2007. At this workshop residents had an opportunity to weigh in on the guiding principles and complete a survey asking them what questions they would like answered about existing conditions in the city. The City Council confirmed the guiding principles during their February 12, 2008, meeting. This first part of the General Plan Update is now complete, and the report will be used by the City Council, Planning Commission, and City staff in the near term as a policy reference in reviewing proposed plans and projects. It will also be used as the starting policy base for the South Lake Tahoe General Plan Update and as input into the TRPA Regional Plan Update process. The Policy Guidance Package and the Summary of Community Questions are available at: www.cityofslt.us then click the General Plan Update link.
The first major work product of the General Plan Update is a comprehensive report that provides a snapshot of the existing conditions, trends, and relevant regulations in South Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area (see map on the next page). This Background Report compiles information that will be used to indentify issues facing the city and lead to the development of a plan that helps the city address each issue appropriately. This document will also be used as the environmental setting portion of the Environmental Impact Report that will be prepared for the General Plan. The Public Review Draft Background Report is available at: www.cityofslt.us then click the General Plan Update link.
A Public Review Draft Housing Element was released by the City in February 2008. The City held a community/stakeholder workshop on March 31, 2008, to solicit feedback from the public. The City then held meetings with the Planning Commission/General Plan Advisory Committee (April 17, 2008) and City Council (May 6, 2008) to review and comment on the draft Housing Element. The draft Housing Element was submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development in midMay for a required 60-day review period.
Natural and Cultural Resources •
The Lake Tahoe Air Basin is in nonattainment for the State PM10 standard and is also designated nonattainment with regard to TRPA’s ozone, CO, PM, and vehicle miles-traveled standards. There are 135 recorded cultural resources and 16 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the General Plan Area.
Transportation and Circulation •
The highest traffic volumes in the city occur in July and August.
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In 2007 there were approximately 23.5 miles of Class I and Class II bikeways in South Lake Tahoe.
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The city proposes to add 13 miles of new Class I bikeways and eight miles of Class II bikeways in South Lake Tahoe.
Q&A Related to Existing Conditions
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The following bullets are a partial summary of the major findings from the background report. See the Background Report for a complete list.
Development along major corridors consists primarily of individual strip commercial centers functioning independently of each other with limited pedestrian access.
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In 2007 there were 1.3 million square feet of existing commercial floor area (CFA).
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In 2007 there were 133 hotels and motels with a total of 6,140 rooms in South Lake Tahoe.
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In order to streamline the regulatory process, the City of South Lake Tahoe formally adopted TRPA’s Plan Area Statement (PAS) system in 1999 in lieu of more traditional land use designations and zoning districts.
Annual emergency and non-emergency calls average 33,000 for the SLT Police Department and 3,000 for the SLT Fire Department.
Participants at the November 15, 2007, community workshop were given the opportunity to ask the City questions about any existing conditions in South Lake Tahoe. Answers to these questions have been compiled in the Summary of Community Questions report, available on the General Plan Update’s website. (Note: Additional questions were asked related to proposed policy changes. These will be answered later in the General Plan Update.) The Summary of Community Questions is available at: www.cityofslt.us then click the General Plan Update link.
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South Tahoe Public Utility District’s (STPUD) collection system and wastewater treatment plant processes an average of 4.5 million gallons per day (MGD).
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The Lake Tahoe Unified School District has experienced a decline in student enrollment since 1995, but enrollment is expected to stabilize in 2012.
Recreational Resources •
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The Lake Tahoe Airport is the only airport in the Basin for general aviation, charter services, and emergency and firefighting aircraft.
Public/Quasi-Public Facilities and Services
General Plan Background Report Findings
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Part II of the General Plan Update is an update of the City’s 2003 Housing Element. The Housing Element will be adopted prior to completion of Part III of the General Plan Update in order to meet a June 2008 State deadline.
The second homeowner population in South Lake Tahoe was estimated in 2000 at 9,200 .
General Plan Background Report
Land Use and Community Design
Part II: Housing Element Update
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The City of South Lake Tahoe maintains partnerships and cooperative relationships with many outside agencies to provide and maintain recreational facilities.
Health and Safety
Demographic and Economic Conditions •
The year-round population of South Lake Tahoe is approximately 24,000.
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An additional 386,000 square feet of retail square footage (CFA) will be needed in the city to accommodate future resident and visitor commercial demand over the next 20 years.
The Public Review Draft Housing Element is available at: www.cityofslt.us then click the General Plan Update link. Page 2
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The latest Draft Fire Hazard Severity Map (CAL-FIRE, July 2007) shows that most of the land within the General Plan Area are in very high fire severity zones.
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Liquefaction as a result of an earthquake is a potential hazard within the General Plan Area, particularly in lowlying areas composed of loose, unconsolidated, saturated, clay-free glacial material and certain areas with high water tables (e.g., near the shoreline, adjacent to creeks).
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Flooding poses a significant threat to the neighborhoods of Tahoe Keys, Lake Valley, and Tahoe Valley. Page 3